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4

Q and A answered by on a previous website regimes website

Answers provided by al-'Allamah Shaykh Muhammad al-

Ya'qoubi of Damascus (may Allah protect him)

Questions (click on a question to view the answer)

Q1: Regarding true dreams

Q2: Ruling on casting lots

Q3: Jum'a prayer

Q4: Studying Islam in Damascus

Q5: PhD in Islamic Law

Q6: Islamic mortgage

Q7: Joining obligatory prayers at work

Q8: Regarding the Prophet's (upon him be peace) parents

Q9: Opening a 'halal' cafe

Q10: Jinns and black majic

Q11: Ahl al-Bayt and the Shi'a

Q12: Listening to qasaid sung by women

Q13: Status of the Quran and the Prophet (upon him be peace)

Q14: Taking interest from non-Muslims

Q15: Ruling on mortgages and working as a mortgage-broker

Q16: Home, car, and life insurance

Q17: Examining women for trainee doctors

Q18: Going out clubbing and partying

Q19: Studying Quranic sciences

Answers

Question 1:

If one is in a state of wudu' before going to sleep and does dhikr

before sleeping and then has a very clear dream, how seriously
should one believe the dream? Is it considered a 'ru'ya?'

Answer:

There are several factors that should be taken into consideration

when evaluating a dream. One of the most important is being in
a state of wudu' when possible; others include sleeping on the
right side while facing towards the Qiblah, having performed
prayer before sleeping, and having done the dhikr required
before going to bed. The level of righteousness and purity a
believer maintains is important in evaluating a dream; good
dreams for a believer are one of 46 parts of Prophet-hood and
are called “mubashiraat” as the Prophet salla Allahu ‘alayhi
wa'aalihi wasallam says, which means, “bringing good news.”
There are other factors which may affect one's vision, such as
the psychological state (e.g. sadness or worries) and/or the
physiological state (e.g. pain or hunger). More credence may be
given to the vision if one is in a “normal” state when it is seen.
Bearing all this in mind, it is important to note that not all dreams
can be interpreted; Ibn Seereen, Rahimahu Allah, the well-
known authority on dream interpretation, used to interpret only
one dream out of forty.

The advice of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa ‘aalihi wasallam

when we see bad dreams is to slightly spit three times at your
left side and then say the recommended du'a: “O Allah! I seek
refuge with You from the evil of what I just saw and ask you for
the good of it.” The dream will not harm you, as the Prophet salla
Allahu alayhi wa ‘aalihi wasallam stated; and then the dream
should be kept a secret, not to be told but to scholars who have
the insight and experience in dream-interpretation. The person
who sees the dream should not attempt to interpret the dream or
be affected by its apparent events; as in most cases, they are
symbols that allude to other realities. It is the job of the scholars
to find the appropriate interpretation through a thread that
connects the event with its meaning. This thread that hints to the
answer might be religious, social, or simply linguistic derived
from the words or from proverbs. Do not worry when you see
what appears to be “bad dreams” as they may, in fact, carry for
you a lot of good news. “Prophet-hood has ceased; what has
remained is only glad tidings brought through a good dream that
a believer sees or is seen for him,” the Prophet salla Allah-u
alayhi wa ‘aalihi wasallam says in a sound hadith in Sahih al-
Bukhari.

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Question 2: by Tahir Saeed

Is it permissible to cast lots in order to make a decision?

Answer:

In order to provide an answer to this question, we need to

specify the type of decisions to which the question is referring.
Generally speaking, one has to look at the action to see if it is
obligatory or recommended according to the shari'a in which
case one should not show any hesitation about performing the
act; if it is proscribed or disliked, then one has to distance
himself from it without any attempt to foresee whether there be
any good in it. If the matter in question is neither incumbent nor
prohibited, neither recommended nor disliked, and is simply
permissible, then one may find a way to know whether one
should do it or not. The best way in this regard is to do the
istikharah prayer which is an essential tool in our survival kit to
be used throughout our lives whenever we need to make
decisions.

Sometimes the decisions we intend to make may involve other

people, and we do not want to have any prejudice towards the
people involved, so we need to use another method for
determining the good for them, which is, in this case, casting
lots. To clarify, we may present the following example: Ahmad
wants to travel from Syria to do some business; he has two
options to choose from: either to do business in Egypt or in Italy .
He intends to take with him one of his several sons. First of all,
he has to seek the shari'a ruling on his trip. If it is for doing
business that benefits his country, it is then encouraged; but the
two options here do not bear the same legal status; if business is
the same, then traveling to an Islamic country is preferred over
traveling to a non-Islamic country for several reasons; thus,
casting lots to choose between the two countries would not be
valid. However, when choosing between his sons, in order to
make them all content with his decision, he may cast lottery, and
then take with him the one whose name appears in the lottery.
We read in al-Sahih that the Prophet salla Allah-u alayhi wa
‘aalihi wasallam used to cast lottery between his wives to decide
whom to take with him when he went for battles. This lead
scholars of the Principles of Jurisprudence to consider casting
lots (or more precisely “Qur'ah” as known in Arabic), one of the
final sources of legislation to which a Mujtahid may have
recourse. Our encyclopedic works of Islamic law contain some
rare examples of the application of this principle.

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Question 3 : by Imran Ali

Is it obligatory to pray jumu'a prayer in a masjid?

Answer:

Jumu'a prayer is obligatory upon all men except the categories

that are specified in the books of fiqh, such as women and
travelers. There are certain conditions to be observed when
holding Friday prayers in a place, but generally speaking, when
other conditions are fulfilled, the prayer can be held either in a
mosque or in any building or even in an open space.

Attending Friday prayer for people who are addressed with it is

obligatory according to the Divine words in the Qur'an: “O ye
who believe! When called for prayer on Friday, then rush to the
remembrance of Allah, and stop selling, for that is better for you,
if you really know.” The Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa ‘aalihi
wasallam warned against missing Friday prayers as we read in
al-Muwatta: “Anyone who does not attend Friday prayers for
three consecutive weeks, Allah will block his heart.” Friday
prayers cannot be performed individually, and if missed, Dhuhr
must be performed whether within the time or after the time. I
advise the questioner to study the section on Friday prayer in
Salvation of the Soul which is a concise book on fiqh according
to the Hanafite school of law.

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Question 4:

Asalamu ‘alaykum Sheikh Yaqoubi, I wondered if it would be

possible to receive a breakdown of the course curriculum for
studying Islam in Damascus as I'm interested in starting the
course when I finish my current degree in 2005. I would also like
to know who teaches the course. Thank you for your time.

Answer:

Asking for the curriculum of the course in Damascus while your

plan is to travel there in two years seems to me too early. If you
have this level of concern about studying the Sacred Knowledge,
why do you not travel now to join the school and learn your
Deen? Do you have a guarantee to live until 2005, and do you
think that your university degree is going to help you on the Day
of Judgment? Nothing is better and more rewarding in this life
and in afterlife and more pleasurable more than seeking the
knowledge that brings closer to Allah and His Messenger salla
Allahu alayhi wa ‘aalihi wasallam.

For details of the curriculum of the shari'a courses in Damascus,

you should contact the schools themselves, but beware as they
do not usually write the curriculum in any foreign language. In
addition, if you do not know Arabic well, then you should
consider spending one year studying Arabic in order to be able
to join one of the schools, which, by the way, run for six years.
May Allah give you success with your endeavors to study the
Deen and protect you from the evil of the Western educational
system.

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Question 5 : by Sultana Tafadar

In sha Allah, I hope to begin a PhD in Islamic law and anti-

discrimination law in September 2003. The study would be of a
comparative nature. I am a human rights lawyer and thus am
familiar with western concepts of human rights. However, I have
not had the opportunity to study Islamic law in any great detail. I
am however hoping that studying for the PhD will provide me
with the opportunity to do so. A few people have said that it
would not be wise to do so since I do not posses a vast amount
of knowledge on Islamic law. I would greatly appreciate your
advice on whether to proceed with the PhD in the chosen areas.
I would love to study Islamic law but am worried about picking up
the wrong information.

Answer:

Many Western universities have departments of religious studies

that offer university degrees in Islamic studies. The question to
ask is what is the goal of their curriculum? Do they intend to
serve our Deen and provide our Ummah with ulama who know
the shari'a? More importantly, do they really even present the
Islamic point of view? A look at their curricula and the textbooks
and the reference books they use will provide clearly negative
answer as shari'a cannot be taught by John and George and the
like and their writings. What is also important to examine is the
methodology of studies the Western academia follows in its
claimed quest for knowledge as the most predominant approach
to the study of religion in post-modern times is the
anthropological and the historical, both of which disregard the
sacredness of texts and the impeccability of Prophets. They do
not teach our shari'a; rather, they teach about it; they teach its
history, looking at every text or event with a skeptical eye, and
instead of showing conviction when firm belief is needed, they
bring up their speculations instead. The result is disastrous:
destruction of the foundations of Islamic Law, corruption of the
students, and brainwashing the minds of Muslim students; all
this is done under the name of “subjectivity.” I have visited
several Western universities wherein I met professors and
students, and I can say that there is hardly a department of
religious studies in Western universities that teaches Islam
without hammering its shari'a with the axe of so called
“modernity,” so called “democracy,” and so called “Human
Rights.” Our Muslim brothers and sisters who are enrolling in
Western universities are not acquiring the necessary Islamic
knowledge and are graduating with doubts and then some are
even turning their weapons against Islam. Several graduates
from such schools are now professors occupying chairs of
Islamic studies in renowned Western universities often doing
more damage to Islam than the Orientalists.

Frankly, I consider studying Islam at Western universities similar

to studying Islam at Christian seminaries, or to be fair with
Christians, like studying Christianity in Islamic colleges. Do you
think that a graduate from an authentic Islamic university with a
degree in Christianity will be entrusted by the church as an
authority on Christian theology? Why, in our thirst for esteem (a
degree) and money (a job) are we selling our Deen so cheaply?
Most of the Muslim students who join departments of Islamic
studies in Western universities come back to us with questions
we would never have imagined anyone would pose. The
dangers that lie in enrolling in these departments also lie in
several other departments in faculties of humanity, such as
departments of philosophy and departments of social sciences.

In summary, it is extremely dangerous for Muslim students to

join such departments before getting deeply rooted in the studies
of Islamic theology, Law, the basics of Qur'an and hadith
sciences, history, and purification of the heart. Only after
learning these sciences will they have immunity against the
atheists' attempts to pollute their minds. Studying Islamic Law
and any other Islamic subjects should be done in Islamic
colleges under the scholarship of the rightly guided ulama. There
are many young Muslim students who, out of their love for the
Deen and enthusiasm to support it, join departments of Islamic
studies at Western universities before studying the shari'a in
mosques with the ulama. By doing so, they expose themselves
to the danger of being weakened in their faith and even losing
their Deen.

I would like to take this opportunity to warn young Muslims

against taking courses in these departments. Only after they are
well trained in the sacred knowledge, and after they have
graduated from Islamic colleges or studied for a similar number
of years with the Ulama, could they join these departments with
the intention that, after studying their methodologies and
arguments, they can encounter them and refute them.

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Question 6: by Imran

Dear Shaykh, Assalamualakium. Today in the UK and US many

financial institutions are offering 'Islamic home mortgages' which
generally take the murabaha method where the bank buys the
house and sells it on to you for a monthly payment which is
dependent upon time i.e. If you pay them over 5 years, their
'profit' will be 5% per year and if you pay them over 10 years
their profit will be 7% per year. This to me is very similar to a
bank loan except that here the bank is getting involved in the
purchase of the house and not just dishing out a loan. Is it still, in
your opinion halal? They also say that the prophet (saw) allowed
leasing in his time (how we lease cars today at a fixed APR rate
over time). Is this true? Do you have any references where I can
verify this and study the Islamic Economy, as it existed?

Answer:

Glory be Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. The above-mentioned
information is not enough to issue a fatwa concerning the
murabaha-based mortgage. A thorough look at the conditions of
a given contract is a pre-requisite for the determination of its
legality. Therefore, I would like to advise the brother to send us a
copy of the proposed contract with all related information and
give us enough time to look at it. ('Aqd 'Ijarah) which means in
general terms a "rental contract" sometimes translated as lease,
is one of the most common contracts in Fiqh with various pillars
and conditions that can be looked up in any basic manual of
Fiqh. One of the basic conditions of the rent (namely the fee) in a
rental contract is that it must be defined and known so that the
sum must be specified not a certain rate. The concept of a lease
purchase as practiced in real estate in the West has no
antecedent in Fiqh and contradicts in principle the general
guidelines for legal contracts, e.g. two contracts in one.
Therefore, we advise the questioner and all concerned people of
keeping away from any mortgage contract that has not been
verified in detail by trustworthy scholars who went through all the
articles of the contract before determining its permissibility.

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Question 7: by Mushtaqur Rahman

When we are in certain work environments, e.g. hospital, it is

sometimes not possible to pray all five prayers on time, not just
during the winter months. Is it not better to join the relevant
prayers (e.g. dhuhr and asr) than miss them? If one then finds
the time then one can repeat the particular prayer in its
appointed time?

Answer:

Glory be to Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. "Allah does not task
any soul beyond her capacity". The five daily prayers must be
performed within the allocated time; the required time is not
included in any working contract. If the working schedule does
not permit the person to pray then the person must leave the job
and look for another job that accommodates the prayers.
Working on the account of prayer time does not generate more
income, as it apparently looks, but rather more calamities. The
conditions of combining prayers are known in the books of Fiqh;
working in a hospital is not one of them. One has to pray in time;
if the prayer is missed then it has to be made up for, the impact
of the sin is on the shoulder of the person who has to repent (do
tawba) with the following conditions: 1- Immediate change of
working timetable to fit in the prayers he is prone to miss. 2- Feel
remorse about missing the prayers. 3- Determine not to miss any
prayer again. One exceptional case, however, has to be
mentioned in this context; it is the case of a medial doctor or
assistant (e.g. nurse) and has to take part in a surgical operation
that may last for several hours and cannot leave the operation,
the person has to do the work that involves saving life and make
up for the prayer he misses with no burden of sin in the delay.

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Question 8: by Irfan Ahmed

Dear Shaykh, I am honoured to be able to ask such a great

scholar a question directly. My question relates to the Prophet
(s.a.w.)'s parents.. I always believed that they would be forgiven
as they had not received the message of Islam. However, a
brother then posted me the following Hadith: "The following is
from a book produced by Imam Anwar Al-Aulaqi, based upon Ibn
Kathir's 'The Beginning and The End'. Anas narrated that a man
asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, where is my father?' He replied:
'In Hell-Fire'. Then when the man turned away, he (The Prophet
(SAW)) called him and said: 'My father and your father are both
in hell.' Al-Bayhaqi stated after relating these traditions in his
work Dala'il An-Nubuwah: 'And how would the father and grand-
father of the Prophet (SAW) not be in such circumstances
regarding the hereafter when they used to worship idols until
they died, and they did not follow the religion of Jesus Son Of
Mary, upon whom be peace.'" In addition I was posted the
following Hadith: Abu Huraira narrated: The Prophet (SAW)
visited his mothers grave, and he wept and caused those with
him to weep too. Then he said, 'I asked my Lord's permission to
visit my mother's grave and He allowed me. I also asked his
permission to seek forgiveness for her, but He did not permit me.
So do visit the graves, they will remind you of death. [Muslim]
These Hadith were presented to me as evidence that the
Prophet (s.a.w.'s) parents are in the Hell-fire. I would really
appreciate if you could tell me (with evidences please) what is
the correct opinion on this matter according Ahl us Sunnah wal
Jamaah

Answer:

Glory be to Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. First of all, I would like
to mention that the reliable opinion on the parents of the Prophet
Salla Allah-u alayhi wa'aalihi wasallam is that they will survive on
the Day of Judgment and they will be in al-Jannah. One of the
major scholars of advocated this opinion is the great Hafiz al-
Imam as-Suyoutiy in several works, one of them is Masaalikul-
Hunafaa fee waaliday al-Mustafaa salla Allah-u alayhi wa'aalihi
wasallam. It is included in a collection of his famous collection of
epistles known as "al-Haawee llifataawaa" published in two
volumes. It is also published separately in several editions.
Another scholar is al-Imam Muhammad Ibn 'Abd ar-Rasoul al-
Barzanjiy; he also compiled a work that has been recently
published, "Sadaad ad-Deen wa Sidaad ad-Dayn fee Najaatil -
'Abawayn ash-Shareefayn. It is clear that the issue is of dispute
and every proof present to support the opposite opinion is
refuted by method of exegesis, i.e. looking at its meaning as in
father meaning uncle for instance, and by providing
counterproofs as well. In subject that relates to the Prophet salla
Allah-u 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wasallam, I advise the readers of taking
heed to the works of the great later scholar, known as lover of
the Prophet salla Allah-u 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wasallam, shaykh
Yousuf an-Nabhaaniy rahimahu Allah ta'aalaa (d. 1350H.). His
books were well received and recommended by the foremost
scholars of his time across the Islamic world. Concerning the
questioner's request of a proof, I would like to say that the
request is unusual and alien to the tradition of fatwa. The Mufti's
duty is to provide the ruling with a reference or without
depending on the case but not to deliberate on the proofs of it.
However I would like to seize this opportunity to draw some
guidelines for this questioner and others who represent a layer of
the society that is known in the field of sacred knowledge as the
commons or "al-'awaamm". When faced by a legal or problem or
doctrinal misunderstanding, the job of the common is to first to
look for wherefrom he receives the answer, i.e. the source of
knowledge, and make sure that it is authentic and trustworthy;
So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know) as in surat
al-Anbiyaa'. By authentic I refer to the integrity of the chain of the
scholar and by trustworthiness I refer to the loyalty to the
doctrine of ahlussunnah. Second, when getting the answer
which may be difficult to understand, due to several reasons, the
least of which is the incapability of the questioner to comprehend
the answer, the questioner must listen and adhere without
challenging the authority as Allah subhaanahu wata'aalaa
described the believers in the Noble Qur'an (we hear and we
obey). If the questioner is ambitious to learn more about the
subject raised in the question he should change from a common
to a student of sacred knowledge, find a shaykh or more, and
gradually and systematically develop his understanding of the
deen in a circle. The questioner should be satisfied with an
answer that points out to the reliable opinion or provides the
ruling and should also recognise his inability to make a judgment
on this subject due the long list of requirements in the field of
knowledge. The Western culture has changed Muslims' attitude
towards any religious issues from adherence to rebelliousness,
from obedience to challenge and from following authorities to
questioning authorities. The result is that people now believe
that every person must make his own judgment and form an
opinion in a field of studies that would take a scholar twenty
years to be able to tread in with cautiousness and humility. The
Western culture is built on rejection of faith, irrelevance of
revelation, glorification of the human and the human authority
versus the Divine thus putting reason over text, which is the
reason why we are witnessing this intellectual mess in the
Islamic arena.

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Question 9: by Yusuf Smith

As-Salaamu 'Alaikum dear Shaikh. I have a question regarding

business ethics. I am intending to establish a cafe of some sort
in London, basically a Halal variant on the espresso places
which have appeared in various parts of London. One of the
suppliers I have been considering is called Costa. This firm was
originally an independent family firm, but was taken over by a
company which at that time had a large interest in the alcoholic
drinks industry. However, that company has since divested itself
of these interests. Is it still acceptable to sell this company's
coffee?
Answer:

Glory be to Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. The question that you
should be concerned about is not about the source of the
income of your coffee supplier but rather about the legality of
opening a café and still being an obedient servant of Allah
without transgressing any of His boundaries. The way you put
the question appears to be trapping me into giving you a fatwa
that implies that opening a café is permissible. However, the
best opinion I must have leads me to think that you are
completely unaware of the issue and for you it is unquestionable,
which shows how much of our actions we take for granted as
halal. Opening a café in is forbidden due to what accompanies it
and to what it entails. A café is a place where people buy coffee
and sit to drink it. In the West, cafés are places of mixed genders
where men and women sit at the same table. Often, lovers would
sit together and God knows what they would be wearing and
what they would be doing in that romantic place. If the café is for
one gender, e.g. men, then the problem is worse. Do you think
that you can open such a place, and make halal business and
gain halal income from hosting lovers and offering the half naked
people a shelter? I hope that you do not say that I want to make
a halal café; as this in our time looks like carpeting the ocean.
Do not think that opening a café for Muslims will make it halal, as
a café is a usual place for gossip, where, men would sit by the
sidewalk watching women by-passers, where men would sit to
play card, or backgammon both of which are forbidden and often
the café owner provides the cards and the tables. In the Islamic
law, sitting in a café may invalidate a testimony of the witness. I
would like to narrate a beautiful story that took place in our
family. One of my father's cousins some 60 years ago opened a
café. Knowing that a café at a time when cafés were not as bad
as they are now. My grandfather sayyid Ismael al-Yaqoubi, who
was a great waliyy and highly respected amongst the Maghribi
minority in Syria, happened to pass by the place in as-Suwayqa
quarter, he paused for a few seconds and angrily threw a glance
at the café then went on his way. His nephew, the café owner
was not there at that moment, but when he came and was told
what Sayyid Ismael did, he immediately kicked people out, put
the chairs inside and closed down the café and never opened a
café again. I mention this story as I heard it from a cousin of my
father rahimahu Allah-u ta'aalaa, Abu 'Ali 'Abdo al-Yaqoubi. It is
an example also of the society some sixty years ago, what the
ulema needed to do and the response of the commons and their
fear of Allah and shyness in front of Him. May Allah show mercy
to those generations both the scholars and the masses and
grant our generation the love for Allah, the fear and shyness of
Him subhaanahu wata'aalaa. A person in your seriousness
looking for the halal and investigating on the income of your
supplier should not be involved in this business. I am sure that
your reliance on Allah will be enough insurance for a prosperous
life. Remember what Allah ta'aalaa said, "whoever fears Allah
[by abstaining from haram] he will provide him with a recourse
and give him rizq from where he does not expect".

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Question 10: by Anonymous questioner [withheld by
Lighthouse]

Asalamualikum. My question is a strange one. A few years ago I

was possessed by a jinn through black magic. I went to many
alims for treatment. In the end, I had to take medication. It was
quite bad. Alhumdulliah, I am better than before but not
100%.the problem is that I still feel as though I am trapped in a
cage and every time I make an attempt to better my position for
example at work or sports or in deen I struggle. Its as if I can't be
successful in life. I know this sounds strange but I struggle so
much with my self. I just don't know what to do. Somtimes I lose
all hope and don't feel like praying.astagfurallah. Pls, can u help
me in someway, any sort of dhikr for sakoon. wassalam.

Answer:

Glory be to Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. Two things I
recommend to you and to all people who have similar problems:
first, there is book of du'a called al-Hisnul Haseen by the great
Imam Ibn al-Jazariy Muhammad ibn Muhammad. Maintain
reading it all around the weekdays. It contains Qur'anic and
Sunna du'a that protect from evil of jinn as well as the evil of
humans from the Qur'an and from the Sunnah. Second, try to
find a weekly dhikr session around your area or even if in
another city and attend it regularly. The dhikr sessions and the
company of the men of Allah both are inexpensive methods of
protection. Mercy and tranquility come down from heavens
together with angels to surround the people present in a dhikr
session. As the Prophet salla Allah-u alayhi wasallam says in a
sound hadith in Saheeh al-Bukhaariy narrated by Abu Hurayrah
radiya Allah-u 'anhu describing a session of dhikr and a by-
passer, "they are the people whoever sits with them will never be
under distress".

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Question 11: by Irfaan

Assalaam walaikum Shaykh, What should the Ahl As-Sunnah

stance be on the Ahl al-Bayt, and how does it differ with the Shia
assertion of Ismah (infallibility), how much love should we
bestow on them and is their maqam higher then the sahabah's?
Also what about their assertion of praying on Turbah or natural
surfaces is this a valid Fiqh opinion

Answer:

Glory be to Allah; prayer and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. The descendants of
the Prophet Salla Allah-u alayhi wasallam through his two
grandsons Sayyidunaa al-Hasan and Sayyiduna al-Husayn
radiya Allah-u 'anhumaa are parts of the family of the Prophet
salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam known in Arabic as ('Aal al-Bayt).
The major reference to the rights of the family of the prophet
Salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam is in the Qur'anic verse, {Say, I do
not ask you for any reward for IT [the Qur'an] except friendship
to my kin}. In addition to this verse there are several hadith that
speak loudly of the rights the Prophet Salla Allah-u 'alayhi
wasallam laid upon us concerning his family. These rights vary
from love and respect to financial rights in the Public Funds.
Love and respect for the family of the Prophet is one of the
features that distinguished the path of Ahlussunnah for
centuries. The books of Fiqh, history, biographies have
countless examples of the relationship between the Ulema and
'Aal al-Bayt. The great Imam sidi Ahmad Zarouq wrote in his
"Qawaa'id at-Tasawwuf" a principle on the love for the family of
the Prophet; ash-Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyideen Ibn 'Arabiy wrote a
beautiful section in his "Meccan Revelation" on 'Aal al-Bayt; both
elaborated on the special high rank of 'Aal al-Bayt and their
special merit on the Day of Judgment. Al-Qadi 'Iyaad rahimahu
Allah quoted the various hadiths that compel Muslims to the
rights he salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam has upon us concerning
his family. A good reference on this subject is "ash-Sharaf al-
Mu'abbad li-'Aali Muhammad" By shaykh Yousuf an-Nabhaaniy.
On how much love we should have for them let me quote for you
this story that happened with me: One of the greatest Ulema and
men of Allah now in Damascus is shaykh Saleem al-Hammamiy
who is 100 years of age, (at least). He is known for his extreme
love for the family of the Prophet Salla Allah-u ‘alayhi wasallam.
Upon one of my stays in Damascus in the beginning of this year
(2002) I met him a few times during several dinners held by his
sons, he told me twice that he wanted to see me alone. So, I
went to visit him; in his room he gave a gift (a lot of money) and
wanted me to give him my word that I would consider him part of
our family by saying (Saleem is one of us - the family of the
Prophet); he added that this will give him one hope for survival
on the Day of Judgment. When two scholars meet in a party, the
scholar of 'Aal al-Bayt is always foremost. Niqabat al-Ashraaf
was a special administration that handled the register, birth,
death, geneologies and financial rights of 'Aal al-Bayt. Naqeeb
al-Ashraaf was the official title of the head of that administration.
Formally, half a century ago, when the Mufti and Naqeeb al-
Ashraaf met, the latter takes precedence over the former, e.g.
Naqib al-Ashraaf on the right-hand side of the president and the
Mufti on the left-hand side. Ahlussunnah's love and respect for
'Aal al-Bayt is immense and strong but not extreme so that it
kept them within the tenets of the Deen. The extreme love the
Shee'as had for 'Aal al-Bayt led them to believe that they are
impeccable, a position they have held for centuries. In some of
their most recent writings some prominent shi'i leaders make it
possible that some of the Imams of 'Aal al-Bayt may reach levels
higher in ranks than some prophets, which contradicts the
Islamic dogma which states that messengers and then prophets
are the best of all humanity with no single exception. We love the
family of the Prophet salla Allah-u alayhi wasallam for his sake,
for the blood that runs in their veins, or if we may put it in modern
scientific terms, for the genes they inherited from him. It is
sometimes difficult to stimulate this love for 'Aal al-Bayt when
people see the majority of them as ordinary people, less
righteous than others, have no knowledge of the deen, with
some of them even getting far off the deen so they question the
whole principle. Had we loved them for their own sake we would
be excused if we disrespect them when they transgress; but we
love them above all for the sake of their grandfather, and
whether they are righteous or sinful, they are his descendants
and he is still their grandfather. This is why one of the Algerian
scholars, shaykh 'Ashour al-Khanqi, a devotee to the family of
the Prophet salla Allah-u alayhi wa 'Aalihi wasallam wrote a book
on this issue under the title: "al-'Ithaaf bifadli 'Usaatil- Ashraaf". I
came across the title of this book several years ago and was
very much interested in the life of the author; feeling compelled
to be grateful to him on behalf of the living members of family of
the Prophet Salla ‘alayhi-u 'alayhi wa 'Aalihi wasallam but the
book, in its lithographic one hundred year old edition is as rare
as a manuscript. Two years ago, I visited Princeton Library in my
search of some manuscripts on hadith and went to its Arabic
printed stocks and thought, not knowing where to start the
search, I wondered how to find any rare book. To my surprise, I
walked between the shelves and picked up one volume, the very
first and it was this book on 'Aal al-Bayt.

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Question 12: by Zia

As-Salam-u'Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah-e-Wa Barakathu, Is it

permissible for males to listen to the recitation of qasa'id sung by
female voices?

Answer:

Glory be to and salutation are due to His Messenger salla Allah-

u 'alayhi wasallam. It is haram for men to listen to women
singing other than his wife and his mahaarim (women he is
permanently forbidden to marry). Listening to woman's voices
when they sing is a door to fitnah. There are enough male
chanters.

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Question 13: by Abdul Qadir

Salaam. In terms of status who's is higher the Quran's or the

Prophet (pbuh).

Answer:

Glory be to Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam; Al-Qur'an is in a
higher status than the Prophet is. Actually there is no way to
compare the Creator and His Attributes to the Created beings,
not even to the Prophet himself. Every Muslim should be aware
of the fact that the Qur'an is the Speech of Allah, which is one of
His necessary Attributes. It is Pre-eternal, Everlasting, unlike the
speech of the created beings. The Prophet Salla Allah-u 'alayhi
wasallam is the best of creation. I find it strange that a Muslim is
posing this question about one of the most self-evident truths.
One has to be cautious with maqam al-'Ulouhiyyah. I advise the
brother of studying with a trustworthy teacher a booklet on the
Islamic Doctrine (‘Aqeedah) such as al-Fiqhul Akbar, at-
Tahaawiyya, or as-Sanousiya.

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Question 14: by Asum Hanif

Asalam-o-alaikum. At one of your light study sessions, it was

mentioned that Muslims were allowed to give mortgages to non-
Muslims and take interest, but not allowed to take mortgages
themselves. At a later date, you explained that this is to deprive
the non-Muslim of wealth in this world. Hence, the question I
pose is, are we allowed to have interest bearing accounts and
also invest where we know there is a guaranteed element of
interest to be generated to the policyholder from the varying
financial products?

Answer:

Glory be to and salutation are due to His Messenger salla Allah-

u 'alayhi wasallam. According to the Hanafi School, we are
allowed to charge interest over a loan we give to a non-Muslim in
the non-Muslim land. Under no circumstances are we allowed to
borrow money and pay it off with an interest, whether regardless
of the lender and the land; it is absolutely haram. As to the issue
of putting our savings in an interest-based account in banks in
the West for example, it is a different issue from the issue
specified in the Hanafi books. According to the general rules of
Fiqh in the Hanafi School, it is haram to give the non-Islamic
banks control over your wealth and allow. One may open an
account to pay the monthly bills and run his business as required
without leaving in the account any considerable sum. I have
elaborated on this issue in several lectures and I have written an
epistle on it, so I will do with this now inshaa' Allah for the
answer.

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Question 15: by Amin Meah

AsSalamu Alaikum. What is the situation regarding buying a

house with a mortgage from say Barclays bank? Also I have
been offered a job as a mortgage broker, is this halal for me?

Answer:

Glory be to Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. Buying a house with a
mortgage, namely interest based loan, is haram. No madh-hab
allows borrowing money and paying interest neither from a
Muslim nor from a non-Muslim. I have written a epistle on this
subject in Arabic that I will try to make available inshaa' Allah.

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Question 16: by Shafeeq Ulhaq

1) Can we insurance our house? 2) can you or person involve

make a claim on your car insurance?

Answer:

Insurance in general is haram. Contemporary scholars have

studied the subject. My father, the great 'Allamah shaykh Ibrahim
al-Yaqoubi Rahimahu Allah wrote a work on insurance in the
Muslim land and concluded that the only type of insurance that
can be allowed is only pension. As to the non-Islamic land, with
the consideration of the different conditions the types of
insurance that are halal are the following: health insurance,
retirement plan, car insurance. As to home insurance and life
insurance, they are haram. Making reasonable claims without
lying is permissible and money earned is halal. The reasoning
and proofs of my opinion will be insha'a Allah published later
insha'a Allah, people who attend my classes may pose this
question when it is appropriate for an elaboration.

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Question 17: by Abid Choudry

Is it permissible to examine women which may involve looking at

areas of the body which are unlawful for males, when training to
become a doctor?

Answer:

Glory be to Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. It is haram for a male
student of medicine or a graduate doctor to examine a fit woman
just for the purpose of familiarising himself with certain parts of a
woman. Such goals can be achieved through other illustrative
methods. If the woman is sick and needs treatment, it is
permissible for a student to examine her with his supervisor but
not for the whole class. Making the examination a show in a
class is haram and seizing sick women to expose them is haram.
Muslims have observed ethics in medicine for centuries and they
should continue this tradition.

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Question 18: by Usman Ahmed

Aslamalaykum! I am a dentist student at Leeds uni. A lot my

friends and people I know go out clubbing and go out to parties ,
and they are Muslims. I wanted to know if clubbing and going out
to parties is acceptable in Islam, even when u don't drink or
smoke? Wsalaam.

Answer:

Glory be to Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. It is haram to attend
such parties as mentioned in the question. Such parties are not
for Muslims. Muslims should keep away from places where non-
Muslims meet, dance and drink alcohol. The number of the
forbidden things committed when going to such clubs is
countless. It is enough that they spread darkness in the heart
and make the heart of the mu'min indifferent to sins. There are
various types of leisure activities allowed in Islam. One has to be
with righteous people whose company elevates and increases
the imaan and benefits in the Hereafter.

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Question 19: by Miss Shireen Zaman

Bismillah; I wish to study the reasons for every ayah revealed in

the Qur'an but have no idea where would be the best place to do
this. Please, could you recommend a suitable place ? (I am
doing a degree in Arabic at the moment) jazakallah khayr

Answer

Glory be to Allah; prayers and salutations are due to His

Messenger salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam. The best method of
studying this science is the find a teacher and study with him one
of the major texts written on this subject. Islamic colleges offer a
whole package i.e. a curriculum that covers the most needed
subject for a student of sacred knowledge. The most circulated
reference on Asbaab an-Nuzoul is under the same title by al-
Imam Jalaal ad-Deen as-Suyoutiy printed in one volume and
included in several editions of tafseer al-Jalaalyn. There are
other works for specialists. The large works of tafseer are good
authority on the subject. One of the best in this regard is al-Jami'
li 'Ahkaam al-Qur'an by al-Imam al-Qurtubiy Abu 'Abdillah
Muhammad Ibn Ahmad printed in twenty volumes.

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Copyright © 2005 Shaykh Ibrahim Institute